


rainy days

by euphorickiri



Series: rina week 2020 [3]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Baking Shenanigans, F/M, Fluff, Rina Week 2020 (HSM: The Series)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24175030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphorickiri/pseuds/euphorickiri
Summary: ricky finds himself on gina's doorstep, not feeling welcome in his own home
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Series: rina week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741261
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	rainy days

“Lynne, for the _last time_ , I’ve already signed the divorce papers. I don’t know what else you want from me!”

“Did you ship them to the right address? Did you even bother to double-check? Because explain to me why the lawyer hasn’t gotten them!”

“I swear-”

Ricky sighed as his dad continued to yell at his mom over the phone, wincing when his dad started to curse. He knew things between his parents were bad, but they’ve been arguing over the phone every night for the past _week_. They always had something to fight about, and Ricky didn’t know how much more he could take of this. 

“You can never do anything right, can you?”

“You’re the one to talk.”

“Excuse me?”

“I was here, Lynne. I was always here when you needed me. When our _son_ needed me. You’re the one who left. The one thing I can do right is be a good parent, unlike you.”

“That’s not fair-”

Ricky felt his throat close up as their argument continued. No matter what it was they fought about, he was always pulled into it. Lynne claimed he was the only reason they stayed together for so long, but Ricky was beginning to think that wasn’t true. His hands shook as he grabbed his skateboard, his vision blurry as tears started to form in his eyes. Ricky purposely slammed the door shut behind him as he left his house, ignoring how neglected he felt when his dad didn’t even notice.

He thought about going to the skate park, but he didn’t really want to be around anyone right now. Ricky skated around the neighborhood instead, trying to calm himself down. As much as he missed his mom, he didn’t want to see her anytime soon if she was just going to continue arguing with his dad like this. If they wouldn’t get back together, Ricky at _least_ wanted them to get along. 

Thunder went off in the sky and he looked up, groaning when a drop of rain hit his forehead. He was too far from home but he also had no idea where he was. Ricky continued to skate, panicking when the rain started to pour down harder. He froze when he spotted a familiar house around the corner, flushing when he realized he knew exactly where he was.

Ricky had skated to Gina’s house. 

Ever since homecoming, the two teens have grown closer. They hung out a lot, and Big Red didn’t hesitate to tease Ricky about it. 

_“I guess you found a new best friend huh?”_

_“Shut up. No one can replace you Red.”_

_Big Red smirked and waggled his eyebrows teasingly. “So a new girlfriend?”_

_Ricky shoved him and flipped him off with a dark blush on his face. Big Red laughed and continued to tease him, screaming when Ricky tackled him and hit him with a pillow._

He hated how well Big Red knew him. 

The only other person Ricky had ever had a crush on before was Nini. For a long time, he didn’t think he would feel that way for anyone else. But then Gina kissed his cheek the night of homecoming, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

_“Goodnight Ricky.”_

He could still smell her strawberry perfume in his car. Ricky blushed at the memory as he stood in front of Gina’s house. He knew how he felt, but was too scared to say anything about it. Fear clawed up his throat at the memory of Nini’s confession. She told him he loved her, and he couldn’t even form _words_. It had completely destroyed their relationship, and Nini couldn’t even look him in the eyes anymore. 

Ricky didn’t want that to happen with Gina. He couldn’t lose her. 

He bit his lip nervously and considered going back home. Ricky quickly changed his mind when a bolt of lightning flashed above him. He walked up to Gina’s front door and knocked, gripping his skateboard tightly. Gina opened the door, her eyes going wide in surprise at the sight of him.

“Bowen?” she asked in disbelief. 

Ricky didn’t say anything and smiled sheepishly. Gina leaned against the doorway and looked him up and down. She was wearing an oversized sweater along with a part of sports shorts. A beanie sat on top of her head of curls and she was wearing fuzzy socks.

Even in casual clothes, Gina still managed to look beautiful.

Ricky didn’t even realize how long he was staring until Gina cleared her throat. He froze and stood up straight, his embarrassment growing when the other teen started laughing.

“Did you forget how to speak?” Gina teased.

“No,” Ricky rushed out as his face grew hot.

“Well in that case, what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be out in this weather,” Gina scolded.

Ricky rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I was just in the neighborhood?” 

“You live twenty minutes away from me,” she deadpanned. 

He rocked on the balls of his feet, silently wishing for a hole in the ground to form and swallow him up. Maybe this _was_ a bad idea after all. Ricky started to move back but Gina grabbed his arm gently, stopping him. She looked at him in concern, taking in his appearance. 

“Your parents?”

Ricky turned away and Gina took that as his answer. She pulled him inside and held his hand, leading him into her bedroom. Ricky put his skateboard down and kicked off his shoes, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room as Gina rummaged through her closet. 

“I’m-”

“If you’re about to apologize, don’t bother. You have nothing to apologize for.”

She gave him a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. “You remember where the bathroom is right?”

He nodded, silently thanking her. Ricky went into the bathroom to change, smiling slightly when he realized the hoodie she gave him was one of his. Gina took his wet clothes from him and went to put them in the washing machine. Ricky waited in her room and sat on her bed. Gina came back and sat next to him, holding his hand. 

“I hope you know I’m not letting go home. The rain is really bad,” she said.

“I figured,” Ricky replied. “I’m so-”

“Stop apologizing.”

Gina squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Ricky didn’t hesitate. He let it all out, Gina listening silently. Out of everyone he knew, Gina was the only person he felt comfortable talking about his family issues. Sure, Big Red was his best friend and he told him everything. But at the end of the day, when it came to home life, he would never understand what Ricky was going through. 

But Gina did.

She knew him better than he knew himself, and vice versa. Somehow she always knew the right thing to say to help him feel better, and Ricky was extremely grateful for that. By the time he was done ranting, Ricky was crying his eyes out. Gina pulled him into a hug and kissed his forehead gently. He held her tightly, hiding his face in her shoulder.

“None of this is your fault, okay? Whatever happened between your parents had nothing to do with you,” Gina assured. “You’re not the problem Ricky.”

She ran her hand through his hair to help calm him down. Ricky took a shaky breath and started to pull himself together. He pulled away from Gina and sighed, wiping his tears away.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry for barging in like this.”

He winced when Gina flicked his forehead. “For the last time: stop apologizing. My door is always open if you need me. You know that.”

“So is mine,” Ricky replied.

Gina smiled and stood up, pulling Ricky with her. She grabbed her laptop and led him into the kitchen. Ricky noticed the TV was still on in the living room and smirked.

“Were you watching We Bare Bears before I got here?” he teased.

Gina hit his arm as her face turned red. “Shut _up_.”

“I personally think Ice Bear is the best character. How about you?” 

Ricky pretended to be scared when she glared at him fiercely. “ _Anyway_ , I figured we could do something fun to lighten the mood. I saw these cookies and cream cupcakes on YouTube the other day and I haven’t baked in a while-”

“Again with you and YouTube,” Ricky laughed, smiling when Gina flipped him off. 

“I have to do something when I’m alone in the house,” she muttered, walking around the kitchen to get everything she needed.

Ricky bit his lip nervously. “Speaking of, where is your mom?”

“Working,” Gina replied, but Ricky could hear the frustration in her voice. “She’s been working late a lot recently, so I've basically been taking care of myself.”

She put a bowl down on the counter, freezing when Ricky pulled her into a hug. She relaxed and melted in his embrace, hugging him back.

“I guess it’s a good thing I came over tonight,” Ricky said softly.

“It’s always good when you come over,” Gina admitted, holding him tighter. 

They pulled apart, Ricky hesitating before kissing her on the cheek. Gina blushed furiously and looked at him in disbelief. “What was-”

“Homecoming,” he said quickly. “You know, you kissed me on the cheek. So, I’m repaying the favor!”

Gina looked confused and Ricky smiled awkwardly. “So! Cupcakes!” 

He scrambled around the kitchen to get the rest of what they needed. Gina watched him fondly, laughing when he almost tripped from how fast he was moving. She opened her laptop and started playing the video. Ricky immediately started messing around, laughing when Gina chased him around the kitchen with a spoon. The recipe wasn’t hard to follow and they finished quicker than they thought. As Gina put the cupcakes in the oven, Ricky looked over at the flour as an idea formed in his head. 

“Okay, we should probably start the fros-”

As soon as Gina turned around, Ricky blew flour in her face. She sputtered in shock, glaring when Ricky doubled over from laughing so hard. He screamed when she grabbed him by the hair, pressing his face straight into the flour bag in retaliation. Gina giggled, running away when Ricky tried to grab her. He eventually caught her and spun her around with a wide smile on his face.

“We made a complete mess,” Gina huffed.

“The best bakers make messes,” Ricky argued.

Gina narrowed her eyes. “You’re just saying that because _you_ caused this!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ricky scoffed, feigning innocence. “Besides, we still have frosting to make!”

Gina rolled her eyes, ignoring how cold she felt when he let go of her. They made the frosting and cleaned up the kitchen and themselves. Gina pulled the cupcakes out of the oven, smacking Ricky’s hand when he tried to grab one. She teased Ricky when she saw how seriously he was frosting the cupcakes. He ignored her and continued, narrowing his eyes as he concentrated. Gina noticed his curls covering his eyes and hesitated before brushing them from his face. She blushed when Ricky turned to look at her. He smiled and went back to frosting the cupcakes, resisting the urge to scream.

If Gina kept doing things like _that_ , he didn’t know how much longer he could keep his feelings to himself.

They eventually finished and Gina smiled at their work, frowning when Ricky took a cupcake and shoved it in his mouth in one bite. She smacked him upside the head when he tried to do it again. 

“You’re so annoying,” she grumbled.

Ricky leaned toward her with a smirk. “Don’t lie, you still love me.”

Gina blushed at his words. They stared at each other silently, not moving away. Ricky felt like he couldn’t breathe, but he still didn’t move. He knew why he was afraid to tell Gina the truth. It’s been eating him alive ever since he realized. 

But right now? Ricky wasn’t afraid.

“And what if I do?” Gina asked quietly.

This time, he didn’t freeze. Ricky wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, resting his forehead against hers. “I wouldn’t blame you, I’m kind of the best.”

Gina rolled her eyes fondly and smacked his arm. 

“But if you do, so do I. Love you, I mean. If that wasn’t clear. Oh god I fucked this up-”

Gina grabbed Ricky’s face and kissed him, cutting him off. She pulled away and smiled at him.

“You really need to stop rambling,” she whispered.

“If that’s your way of shutting me up? No way.”

She laughed as he pulled her into another kiss. Ricky honestly couldn’t remember the last time he was this happy. He looked down at Gina fondly, never wanting this moment to end. Ricky realized two things in that moment:

  1. He was completely, hopelessly in love with Gina Porter.
  2. He wasn’t afraid to say it. He wanted to scream it from the rooftops, no matter how cheesy it sounded.



Gina held his hands and grabbed the cupcakes, pulling him down on the couch and setting the cupcakes on the table in front of them. We Bare Bears continued to play on the TV and Ricky started to tease Gina again, earning him a punch on the arm. He pretended to be hurt, throwing himself on Gina’s lap dramatically. She rolled his eyes but didn’t push him away. Gina sat back and ran her hands through Ricky’s hair, smiling when he closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. 

“By the way? Panda is the best character,” Gina said firmly.

“Absolutely not!” Ricky argued. 

They started to argue which led Gina to go on YouTube and look up scenes from the show to prove her point. They ended up finding videos of crochet dolls of the characters, which Gina immediately wanted to try. Ricky was determined to make a better doll, even if he didn’t know what he was doing. They ended up working on the dolls for the rest of the night, flirting and messing with each other as they did. 

When Gina’s mom finally got back home from work, she found them sleeping on the couch. Gina’s head was resting on Ricky’s shoulder and he had her arms around her, resting his head on top of hers. Gina’s mom smiled softly at the sight and grabbed a blanket, draping it on top of them. A badly crochet Ice Bear sat on the table in front of them, sitting next to a well-done crochet Grizzly and Panda. 

They snuggled closer to each other in their sleep as it continued to rain, both of them feeling at home.


End file.
